$250m worth of regional road safety upgrades to get underway across WA

Over the current financial year, over $250 million worth of road safety upgrades will be delivered across about 4,000 kilometres of regional Western Australian roads to help reduce the risk of run-off-road crashes as well as generate local jobs. 

The upgrades are funded through the Regional Road Safety Program and will be delivering low-cost treatments including sealing of existing unsealed road shoulders and installation of audible edge or centre lines that will warn drivers that veer over the white line. 

The Regional Road Safety Program is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments. Approximately $100 million of works are already underway, with a further $158 million allocated for works that will begin by the end of this financial year. 

“This funding will be rolled out on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, which means the delivery of life-saving upgrades to regional roads across Western Australia is on the horizon. 

“This is also about supporting local jobs and providing a welcome boost to local economies at the same time – we are backing our regions to drive the nation’s economic recovery,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said. 

The ‘use it or lose it’ funding basis requires States as well as Territories to use their notionally allocated funds within a given timeframe. Unused funds will be reallocated to deliver projects in other jurisdictions. 

The road upgrade program will help deliver more potential lifesaving treatments to up to 7,000 kilometres of roads across regional Western Australia. 

“As the economy rebuilds we have more people getting back to business and work, as well as people choosing to ‘Wander out yonder’ in our beautiful State, it’s important we make sure our roads are as safe as possible for all users. 

“This tranche of funding will provide much needed upgrades to key roads all across our State from the Kimberley to the Great Southern, supporting local jobs and providing a much-needed economic boost to the regions,” Premier Mark McGowan said. 

According to Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz, regional roads are vital to economy-shaping work of Western Australia’s freight fleet. 

“From Western Australia’s world-class wool to the thriving iron ore exports, local truckies work hard travelling the regional road network to keep the economy ticking along and businesses running by getting goods to market. 

“By funding road safety programs like this, we are continuing to support the economy-shaping work while ensuring they make it home safe at the end of each trip – nothing more important than that,” Mr Buchholz said. 

34 upgrade projects funded through the initial $100 million are already underway and about 62 more projects funded through the additional $158 million investment will soon commence. 

“We have worked hard to secure this money and by the end of the financial year low-cost treatments such as shoulder widening and the installation of audible edge lines will be rolled out across 4,000 kilometres of rural roads. 

“This jointly funded program will make a huge difference to our regional roads, providing potentially lifesaving treatments such as shoulder widening and the installation of audible edge lines,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said. 

Some key projects funded through the Regional Road Safety Program include an $8 million upgrade to Great Northern Highway, about $7 million for North West Coastal Highway as well as over $6 million for upgrades to Albany Highway in Wagin. 

The full list of proposed works for 2020-21 covered by the Regional Road Safety Program can be seen here. 

Source: Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development; Government of Western Australia – Media Statements